November 10, 2005

Oh, Obama!

My favorite senator, Barack Obama, recently made a speech threatening federal regulation of the television industry because there's too much sex on TV. A Kaiser Family Foundation study says that the number of sexual scenes on TV has nearly doubled since 1998.

Of course, the study is a crock of shit. According to this Washington Post article, "the Kaiser study includes a first good-night kiss at the door in its definition of 'sexual behavior.' And 'sexual content' includes any discussion about sex."

Also, it looked at pay channels like HBO, but not MTV, which teens are more likely to actually watch. It looked at channels like Lifetime and USA Network, both of which boast less than 5% teen viewers.

If parents want their children's television viewing regulated, they could probably start by not buying them TVs for their rooms (70% of kids have them). This is yet another entry in the endless debate over who is responsible for raising kids, the parents or the government. I'm all for an honest appraisal of what kids are actually watching. But this study isn't it, and I'm sad that Obama chose the side he did.

Posted by mike, November 10, 2005 10:31 AM
Comments

ARGH! How disappointing is this? The study is a joke, and now, so is Obama. I want my vote back.

Posted by: Shawn at November 10, 2005 10:34 AM

In fact, the study showed that the instances of graphical depiction of intercourse has gone down.

Posted by: Travis at November 10, 2005 2:54 PM

That is so sad. I liked him. It's been my opinion that any politican that brings up violence and sex in movies, t.v. and video games are trying to appeal to today's society vast want to place the blame somewhere else. In fact it is up to the parents to bring the child up right and instill moral values in them. I could go more into this but I wouldn't want to clutter up this blog to much.

Later Romano

Posted by: Romano at November 11, 2005 3:12 PM

"In fact, the study showed that the instances of graphical depiction of intercourse has gone down."

Damnit!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Stevis at November 14, 2005 8:57 AM

I think that tv should be responsible for raising children. It is not the government's business to regulate child-rearing, and most parents are too busy and not qualified. A television never beat a kid, shot a man, or bombed a town. Television just pretends to. TV also has educational shows like Sesame Street, Animal Planet programs, and Sex and the City. You can learn how to build a motorcycle, create a backyard animal habitat, or redesign a living room under $1,000. Those are potential career-building skills! How many parents can teach you that stuff!? Yep. So stick your kids in a room with a tv, feed and water them, and you're all set.

Posted by: shane at November 20, 2005 5:03 PM